Back Issues: "The Joker" #8 (1976)

It's Back Issues time, and today we go waaay back, to the summer of 1976! Nowadays, while it doesn't happen very often, it's not that out of ordinary for a villain to have his own ongoing series. In the '70s mainstream comics that was completely unheard of, which is why you'd think the Joker's own title would be something special. Was it special? Let's find out together, Trash Mutants!

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It makes sense that the Joker would be the first villain ever to headline his own comicbook. He was already a highly popular villain, one well known not just in the comics world, but in popculture in general, mostly thanks to the Adam West show. So yeah, that makes sense. What doesn't really make sense is mostly keeping him away from Batman/Gotham-related adventures, and instead having him just meet various DC villains or heroes. Since I don't really care about the Creeper, and I definitely don't care about Green Arrow, let's have a look at #8, written by Elliot S. Maggin with art by Irv Novick & Tex Blaisdell. The story pits the Joker against another classic Gothamite, the Scarecrow, in a battle between humor and fear.

Before we begin: that's a lovely cover, but unfortunately the scene of Joker walking his hyena (at least I assume that's a hyena) is not in the book. Also, look how much text there is on that cover! In case the cover didn't make it plain, you will note that this is a Scarecrow and Joker story, and if you don't know the Joker's logo yet, then here it is, twice.

Even though the Joker was already on his path to being remade as a more serious, murderous villain in the mid '70s, he had to be a little toned-down in his solo title, just so the Comics Code bigwigs remain happy. You will see exactly how toned-down he is soon. Let's begin.

Our story starts in the back of Joker's "Ho-home on Wheels", where his two lackeys, Southpaw and Tooth are experiencing a little turbulence. The two idiots assume the camper is rockin due to an earthquake, but the truth is entirely different:

It's just the Joker playing a harmless prank on them! Fear is almost as good as laugh, and apparently that's why the Joker's plan is to impersonate the Scarecrow and steal the latest, strongest fear gas that was just recently developed in STAR labs. Why does he need the gas? Why does he need to do it as Scarecrow? Hopefully we'll find out soon!

The good news for the Clown Prince of Crime is that the rentacops guarding STAR labs are just terrible. They only need to see the Scarecrow (actually Joker) and they just assume he's using his powers on them, even though he's not doing anything.

It's pathetic. STAR labs cops, everybody. If they saw Bane standing there instead of Scarecrow, they'd fall down on the floorand yell that their backs have been broken.

The Joker gets the fear gas and escapes the lab, leaving behind a joker card, and thus revealing his true identity. Real cops arrive, start questioning the scientists, but something is happening to them: they suddenly become terrified. That's because the REAL Master of Fear has arrived!

In his tiny lilac helicopter, with his pet raven, NIGHTMARE! Somehow this doesn't seem like such a grand entrance anymore. And if you're wondering why the Scarecrow ...THE SCARECROW... has a pet BIRD sidekick, then I really have no answers for you. He normally hates birds, right? He's a scarecrow! Isn't that like Catwoman having a dog sidekick, only dumber? Anyway, in the '70s he used to arrive in a tiny puprle 'copter, with his bird sprinkling everybody with fear gas droppings, I guess. It was a different time.

Scarecrow soon finds out what the Joker did, and he goes after one of the clown's known ex-goons. He gasses the guy, and the goon reveals Joker's location and dies from laughter a few seconds later. That's because of a hypnotic suggestion Mista J used, as we find out soon enough. That's the only semi-badass thing the Joker does (even if he kills the guy indirectly), so cherish it.

Knowing that the Joker has the gas, Scarecrow makes a stop at the university in his civilian identity of Prof. Crane. He uses the school lab to create an acidic mixture. Meanwhile, the Joker gets thousands of moths doused in the fear gas, and leaves a graffiti on the wall of his Ha-Hacienda (I know, this is just as godawful as "Ho-Home on Wheels"), telling Scarecrow to meet him in the Center Park Zoo. That's exactly where the Joker appears next, unleashing the fear gas moths and his ultra-glam Jokermobile.

That's about when I realized what a terrible protagonist the Joker is. Reading "Hee hee!" and "Ha ha!" etc. after every single unfunny joke or gag, is worse than talking online with people who end every sentence with "LOL." I'm getting mad at this comic every time I read scenes with him. He's not allowed to be badass and he's clearly not very funny or charming. He's an annoying, flashy asshole, mostly. His plans don't really make sense. The Scarecrow isn't much better here, though. The ZOO is now deserted and Crane and his dumb bird arrive for a fight scene:

You can click to enlarge this, too, if you really want to.

There's even a cake being thrown. The Joker's comedy here is the worst collection of cliches and tired gags ever. Since none of this makes a whole lot of sense, we're being reminded that the Joker is crazy and what he does is he tries to make everybody crazy. The Scarecrow tries his fear gas on Joker, but it does not work.

With nothing witty to say, our protagonist is down to slurs, dropping the R word in a diss to the Scarecrow's tailor. Finally, Nightmare the pet raven pinches the Joker in the nose, and the filter falls out, while Scarecrow finally uses the acid on the canister on J's back! Joker is on his knees and he should be panicking and messing his pants any time now, but...

That's right, it was all about making the Scarecrow laugh. That was the plan. The Joker uses the copter to escape - he's going to his base, from which he has a tunnel to Arkham, where he surprises the guards by suddenly appearing. Why did he go back to Arkham? Another one of Code's requirements - the bad guy must end up in jail in every issue.

Look, I'm sorry, this is an awful comicbook. I like these characters, I thought it was gonna be nice and we would have some fun here, but it's horrible. And I skipped PLENTY of plot points from this story that didn't lead anywhere, and it still feels like it's an 80 pages long special. Would you be surprised if I told you that the next issue was the last one, and then the series got cancelled? I wanted to check it out due to the series' significance as the first villain solo ongoing, I chose the best story out of all nine, and it was still a stinker.

The Joker would really begin to shine as a character 10 years after this series ended, but I think we can now safely say that the '70s series should probably stay in the back issue bins.

So what do you think went wrong with the '70s Joker series? Or did you like it? Why would you like it, though? You wouldn't, right? Leave your thoughts below!